mkish
Foraging Degu
Posts: 67
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Post by mkish on Jun 18, 2020 18:48:59 GMT
So yesterday (June 17) I got two 3 month old degus and I already have a 6 year old and a 1 year old. My biggest worries was that my 1 year old, Coco, wasn’t going to get along because she’s very feisty and territorial, but my new degus came from the same parents as Coco. Could this help the introduction at all? They came from the same parents they are just different ages so I was wondering if this could make it easier on Coco, maybe she might notice something? I’m not worried about my 6 year old she is very sweet and super chill. But, Coco is very energetic and crazy (The younger two act just like her). Should I be expecting them to warm up to each other quickly or lots of fighting?
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 18, 2020 19:13:49 GMT
Coco, being in the middle of her adolescent/young adult phase (6 months old - eighteen months old) will likely just see them as competition for her standing in the accepted hierarchy between herself and and your six year old degu. I doubt that she will pick up on the fact that they are full siblings from different litters. The two young ones, while not in the adolescent phase just yet, will still be full of vinegar and ready to challenge. If I were you, I would expect and be ready for fighting. At the very least, vigorous boxing, chasing and humping. Really, you need to have them in side by side cages for a week to several weeks, in order to observe the way they all are interacting through the bars of their cages.
Do you have two cages in order to accomplish this?
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 18, 2020 19:15:19 GMT
Going to also ask, what is the size of the cage you want them all to live in? I don't remember what you've said about your cage, and cage size is really important.
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mkish
Foraging Degu
Posts: 67
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Post by mkish on Jun 18, 2020 20:14:48 GMT
I don’t have the exact measurements for the cage but it’s meant for 3-4 ferrets and it’s about 4-5 feet tall with 5 floors, about 2-3 feet wide and 1.5 feet long. My older ones have three floors and the younger ones have the bottom two. The first day my older girls hated it and they knew Peanut and Honey (3 months old) were there. The younger ones were very loud and the older ones kept trying to find a way down there. Today, they are completely fine and the new girls even came out and up to me. The older ones are acting normal again. I heard separating them horizontally helps a lot so that’s what I did. I have a plan for how I will introduce them if you want I can write it out and you can change anything or give advice. Anyways, Coco and Cinnamon seem more mad that they don’t have 5 floors anymore than they are about the three months old.
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 18, 2020 23:23:55 GMT
Is there a brand name for your ferret cage? I'd like to see a picture of the cage to get a better idea of what you are working with. The floors in the cage, are they complete levels . . . like the very bottom one is . . . or are they more like ledges? I'm just trying to figure out what the cumulative surface area would be.
If you have the two pups in the bottom two levels, and the older two in the upper three levels . . . that means their separation is up and down, not side by side. Up and down is vertical, and side by side is horizontal.
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mkish
Foraging Degu
Posts: 67
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Post by mkish on Jun 18, 2020 23:55:00 GMT
It’s been awhile but I think it’s the Prevue Hendryx Feisty Ferret Cage. The first, third, and fifth are full levels and the other two are ledges about half the cage. I built the fifth one myself for them so it won’t be on the picture of the cage. And yes sorry I meant the divider was horizontal I forget I need to be more specific. Right now they are doing pretty well but again they haven’t met yet so I don’t know how that will be.
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Post by savvy on Jun 19, 2020 0:47:52 GMT
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mkish
Foraging Degu
Posts: 67
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Post by mkish on Jun 19, 2020 1:19:39 GMT
Yup that’s the cage!! I just added a 5th floor that isn’t a ledge. But, everything else is the same
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 19, 2020 5:47:10 GMT
With the three full levels you are at the minimum surface area for 2 degus, which I think is part of what is driving both of your older degus a bit nuts. They are experiencing a dramatic decrease, which will make the intrusion of the two pups more obnoxious to them. It is not an ideal setup for introductions, I'm afraid. Cramped housing also means that there is a greater likelihood of quarrels and grudges building up to the point of terrible fighting and separations. I expect that the space taken by, and the cost of, a second cage is a large difficulty? We know well how expensive cages are.
IF you were to replace the two smaller ledges with complete levels so that you have five full levels in there, you would have the surface area needed to house all four, but it would be difficult to have wheels in there for them to run on. And there wouldn't be much space between one level and the next.
I'm afraid that the cage you have right now is going to prove to be a challenge to keep all four girls in.
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mkish
Foraging Degu
Posts: 67
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Post by mkish on Jun 19, 2020 13:44:22 GMT
Oh dear, and here I thought the cage was too big for two degus. I must’ve read off the wrong website. As of right now, the older two are doing fine and I’ve been taking them out of the cage to play in my room for 2-3 hours a day. I left the younger ones in the cage so I don’t stress them out and I want them to get comfortable with their new home first. Is it possible to make this cage work? I usually take Cinnamon and Coco out everyday for a couple hours while I just do my own thing in my room. If I kept doing this for all four after they get comfortable with each other could this help the situation?
I also have lots of hammocks and hanging rooms they like to run around in. I don’t want to spend money on a new cage unless it’s necessary, I’m more worried about saving money for vet bills now that I have four degus to keep healthy.
Also, I don’t know if this’ll change anything but Cinnamon doesn’t roam around often, she really only uses a full floor and a ledge. Full floor for food, water, and sleep. The ledge has all her toys that she plays with all day. If that could help at all?
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Post by savvy on Jun 19, 2020 14:21:58 GMT
Degus are deceptive in more ways than one, lol. They need a lot more space than you would think judging by their size and even the biggest commercially available cages need modifications to get enough floor space for them.
But.... let us have a think and see if we can come up with some effective, but reasonably priced options to adapt your current cage. I can't guarantee that it will be possible, but we are used to modifying cages on this forum.
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mkish
Foraging Degu
Posts: 67
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Post by mkish on Jun 19, 2020 14:30:01 GMT
Okay thank you very much!! The last thing I want is for my degus to be unhappy in their own home.
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Post by winic1 on Jun 19, 2020 15:27:11 GMT
Some people have built around the bottom shelf to make it part of the cage also, that adds another complete level.
All shelves do not have to be the same height. I started with a Critter Nation, (similar cage but just slightly bigger in all directions) and added in half and 3/4 levels, set some low, 6-7", and some higher to allow for a wheel to fit in. The degus seem to like the low levels as nesting places, snug and darker and cozy. Then the taller spaces were open and light and full of activity things.
Also, to help assure them that resources will not become reduced by having new neighbors, make sure you have at least a food bowl per degu, and in different places, not side by side. This way they know they can eat undisturbed and without sharing. Reduces having them end up fighting over food. It doesn't matter who eats from which bowl or when, just that they know there is plenty of food, and if one source is being used, they can run to a different corner and/or level and find some other food all for themselves.
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Post by winic1 on Jun 19, 2020 15:31:08 GMT
And start keeping an eye out for a used cage for sale. If you find one that's the same, it's easy to join two together to make a supercage. They can go side by side, or front to back, depending on your space.
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mkish
Foraging Degu
Posts: 67
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Post by mkish on Jun 19, 2020 17:01:36 GMT
Okay I might do the bottom shelf idea!! And yes I already do the food bowl thing because Cinnamon is only aggressive when it comes to food, lol. Also I have a shelf by the cage and Cinnamon was out and went to the shelf, Honey (3 month old) was very curious! She ran right to Cinnamon and sniffed her through the bars. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to see each other for a couple seconds so just let them do their thing. They sniffed each other and chirped. Is that a good sign or...?
Peanut (other 3 month old) seems to be very shy while Honey is very outgoing. When I reach my hand in to put some oats in the cage Honey takes the oats out of my hand before I can set them down! But, Peanut keeps hiding in one of the huts. Is this normal for Honey to be outgoing and Peanut to be very shy?
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mkish
Foraging Degu
Posts: 67
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Post by mkish on Jun 19, 2020 17:22:34 GMT
I looked up the noises and meanings and I can’t tell if it was a chaff which is approaching or encouraged approaching. It also sounds like a groan which is aggressive and threatening I think.
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Post by savvy on Jun 19, 2020 17:32:21 GMT
What's the rest of their body language like? Are they puffin get up, are tails wagging?
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mkish
Foraging Degu
Posts: 67
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Post by mkish on Jun 19, 2020 18:00:26 GMT
No they were acting normal but I guess it wasn’t because Honey bit Cinnamon through the bars, not super hard, but Cinnamon got scared and went to Coco and they chirped. Than, Coco tried to get after Honey but again there’s bars. I moved the shelf to let them cool off. I also have no idea what Peanut is doing. I think she was sleeping in her hut. But, I did notice Honey doing some chattering or something? It sounded like when you get cold and your teeth chatter. I don’t know what it means but she did it 2 or 3 times.
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Post by savvy on Jun 19, 2020 18:07:13 GMT
Unfortunately chittering (tooth chattering) can mean anything from I'm super happy, to I'm very angry. There's really no saying. Personally, I'd put a plastic screen between them when they meet so they can't get to each other to bite, but can still see each other, it's a good way to prevent injuries, but still allow them to meet.
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mkish
Foraging Degu
Posts: 67
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Post by mkish on Jun 19, 2020 18:37:51 GMT
Okay thank you!! I think I will do that. Due to today’s incident when do you think would be a good time to actually introduce them? The first time my plan is in the bathtub only for 1 min and the second time might be 1-5 minutes. Should I introduce all 4 at once or introduce Peanut and Cinnamon one time than after introduce Coco and Honey?
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